Anxiety
by Arse Bottom
Summary: Lucas' PTSD gets the better of him, but he knows Ness will be there by his side to bring him back. (rated M for the one f-word and rather sensitive subject matter. one-off)


It was around 3:30 A.M. in the small town of Onett, in Eagleland, and in a small house under a hill overlooking the town, a tall blond boy was experiencing a familiar dream.

"_Lucas,_" a voice in the dream called.

"Mom?! Mom, where are you?!" Lucas called out, running after the voice.

"_Lucas, remember to be brave. I'll always love you..._" Hinawa said. Suddenly a terrifying chimera of a robot and a Drago appeared behind Lucas' mother, and bit her torso, piercing her heart clean through, killing her almost instantaneously. Lucas tried to scream, but no sound came through, his large blue eyes filled with horror, fear and despair.

_Flash._

The mysterious Masked Man stood before Lucas, and he removed his mask. The Masked Man was actually Lucas' twin brother Claus, or some facsimile of him. Claus was transformed into some horrid robotic chimera. Lucas' friends Kumatora, Duster, and his dog Boney were unconscious around his feet, and Claus had realized what become of him. He had raised his arm cannon and fired a huge lightning bolt at Lucas, knowing full well that the Franklin Badge Lucas was wearing would reflect the lightning bolt back at him.

Claus took the full brunt of the attack, and using the last of his strength, staggered towards Lucas, embracing him for the last time. The familiar smell of his brother came to Lucas, and then just as it came, it was gone with Claus. Lucas snapped awake from the dream in a cold sweat, hyperventilating, and tears in his eyes.

"Ness," he wheezed. "Ness wake up! Ness, wake up, I had that dream again." Lucas hobbled towards the bed of the shorter, dark-haired chubby boy and shook him awake.

"Mmmm... Alright, c'mere Lucas." Ness said, half asleep, but knowing full well what this was. Lucas was experiencing a bout of PTSD, and this recurring nightmare was a symptom of that.

"Ness, help me, I hate these stupid fucking nightmares," Lucas sobbed into the other boy's shoulder.

Ness gently rubbed Lucas' back, calming him down and bringing him back. There was something comforting about Ness' soft embrace, and Lucas couldn't quite place it. Maybe it was his warmth, or maybe it was his smell. Both reminded him strongly of his mother and Claus.

"It's alright buddy, we'll go outside to cool off. Come on, get dressed. I know just where we can go."

The two boys got dressed and headed downstairs. Lucas grabbed a glass of water before heading out, and Ness locked the door behind them.

"Where're we going, anyway...?" Lucas asked, much calmer than before.

"I feel like we should go to Twoson, maybe Summers," Ness replied.

"Summers!? That's like a billion miles away! How do we get there from here!?" replied the blond boy.

"It's simple: When we hit 88 miles per hour, you're gonna see some shit," Ness replied with considerable snark.

"Oh, of COURSE, Doc! We'll just take the DeLorean to Summers!" Lucas replied, equally frustrated and playing along.

"Who needs a DeLorean when ya got psychic powers?" Ness smirked. "Grab my hand and hang on tight."

The tall boy was extremely unsure, but he did grab the shorter boys hand firmly. Ness shot some psychic energy onto himself and Lucas, and he said "Hang on tight and start running!" before breaking into a sprint. They were running down the paths into Onett, reaching 88mph. A blue glow enveloped them, and a portal opened up in front of them.

They emerged in Summers, and Ness swept Lucas into his arms, and skidded to a halt, leaving a fiery trail behind him. He set the other boy down, and he took a few shaky steps before heaving over and throwing up.

"Not used to teleporting, huh?" Ness laughed. "I was like that myself the first few times, but you get used to it." Lucas looked up at him with big wide eyes, his face white with fear.

"W-warn me n-next time," Lucas said, his voice quivering. Ness helped him up, and produced a toothbrush and toothpaste from his backpack. Lucas took them and brushed his teeth to remove the vomit taste from his mouth. Ness also took out a bottle of water so Lucas could rinse.

"Well, the restaurant should be opening in a few hours," Ness said, his hand on his stomach. "I'm starving."

"Well, what're we gonna do until then?" Lucas asked.

"I dunno about you, but I'm gonna do some beach combing. I might find a cool seashell!" Ness said, heading southward towards the beach. Lucas followed behind him, but stopped dead in his tracks. He saw his mother and twin brother standing before him, both extremely pale and gaunt. Their eyes were completely black and empty.

The light left Lucas' eyes, he went pale and he hugged his arms around himself tight. "No... It can't be..." he heaved.

"_Lucas, we miss you... It's been too long..._" the two figures said softly. The boy was quaking, sweat rolling down his forehead. The ghostly apparitions of Hinawa and Claus glided towards Lucas, wrapping their pale arms around him in a ghostly embrace. Lucas was chilled to the bone.

"Hey, you comin' or- Oh shit." Ness said, looking back to see Lucas shivering, staring off into the distance with a vacant thousand-yard stare. He ran to the tall boy's aid as fast as his legs would carry him.

"N-Ness... I see my m-mom and b-brother," Lucas choked out, his voice quivering like a leaf in an autumn breeze. Ness wrapped his arms around Lucas strongly, and put his face close to his chest.

"They're not real, buddy. I'm here for you," he said in a soothing tone. Warmth was spreading through Lucas' body from where Ness was holding him, and slowly the light returned to his eyes and the color to his face. There was that familiar comfort again. Ness looked up at the boy's face, watching his return to reality. "You alright now, Lucas?" he asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine now. Thanks for that," Lucas replied after a few deep breaths.

The sun was beginning its slow ascent into the sky, painting the beach and sky of Summers with beautiful pinks and oranges. Ness took Lucas' hand and lead him down to the beach to look for seashells and rocks and other neat things, and Lucas thought. He thought deeply about what that familiar feeling of comfort was that he got from Ness, but then it hit him: love. Just like Hinawa and Claus did, Ness really loved him. Whether it was like a family love or more than that, Lucas was unsure if, but he did know the feeling was strong and would bring him back from any anxiety spike, PTSD induced or otherwise. He knew he was there for him and could count on him for anything.

Lucas stopped walking, "Hey, Ness..." Ness stopped walking, and turned to him. "Ness, I- I love you."

Ness' round face grew into a smile. "I love you too, big guy."


End file.
